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Western Regional minister commends GEXIM for ‘Western Weekend Market’
The Western Regional Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) for Takoradi, Kwabena Okyere Darko – Mensah has commended the Board and Management of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) for organising a special edition of its popular Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Fair dubbed, Tuesday Market, in the Western Region.
Dubbed the “Western Weekend Market”, the fair took place at the Takoradi Mall, from Friday May 17 to Sunday May 19, 2024 at the Takoradi Mall, between 8am and 10pm daily.
The fair provided a platform for Ghanaian entrepreneurs across the Western and neighbouring regions to showcase their various top-quality and uniquely packaged Made-in-Ghana products.
Mr.Kwabena Okyere Darko – Mensah participated in the fair on Saturday May 18, 2024.
Supported by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of GEXIM, responsible for Banking, Ms. Rosemary Beryl Archer, the Minister inspected the Made-In-Ghana products being exhibited and took time to engage the vendors to get an insight into their business operations and products.
Speaking to the media after the event, Mr.Darko – Mensah congratulated GEXIM for the initiative to support SMEs to scale up and harness their export potential.
Very impressed with the unique and amazing products being exhibited, the Minister urged the Bank to continue organizing more fairs in the region to benefit the growing entrepreneurs in the Western region.
“It is exciting and refreshing to be seeing these uniquely packaged products here today and most importantly, knowing there were products by Ghanaians and most of them produced in the Western region. I am very impressed with the work that has gone into organizing this amazing fair and I wish to commend the Ghana Export – Import Bank for this great initiative in addition to all the great things the Bank is doing for and with Ghanaian entrepreneurs across the country,” he said.
I must say it is the way to go as it contributes towards economic development and the creation of jobs for Ghanaians. With this initiative and others, we are on our way to achieving the Government of Ghana’s industrialization agenda. We will urge GEXIM to continue with the fair in the Western region and the SME Clinic to help build the capacity of SMEs in the region and beyond”, he stated.
On her part, Ms. Rosemary Beryl Archer expressed the Bank’s appreciation to the Minister and all stakeholders who made the “Western Weekend Market” a success.
She further highlighted the significance of developing the Ghanaian SME sector and the important contribution entrepreneurs can make to economic development when they are empowered and supported to become more efficient.
She noted that “I am happy we have all these SMEs here today and they are being promoted both locally and internationally to be patronized. We cannot belittle the crucial role of SMEs in the national development agenda, witnessing the sector’s important contribution to the economic transformation of several countries globally, where it accounts for over 50% of private output.“
“We have had some great feedback from the vendors which indicates how the fair has broadened their knowledge base from engagement with their colleagues from other regions. We are looking at sending some of the SMEs from the Western Region to our SME fairs in other regions to get them aligned with what their colleagues in other regions are doing,” she added.
On the sidelines of the “Western Weekend Market”, the Bank organized a training programme for the SMEs, dubbed “SME Clinic”, on Saturday May 18, 2024 also at the Takoradi Mall. The “Western SME Clinic” is aimed at building the capacity of entrepreneurs, exploring solutions to challenges faced by Ghanaian businesses as well as identifying pragmatic approaches to assist SMEs to scale up and become more efficient in their operations.
Under the theme “Growing Your Business And Export Financing”, the participants were taken through important elements of business development and growth as well as the export value chain. They were further enlightened on the concept of governance, risk and compliance in business management.
Nana Ekua Kodu II, the queen mother of the Esikado Traditional Area and multiple award winning Ghanaian musician, Kofi Kinaata were part of the dignitaries that participated in the “Western Weekend Market.”
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NHIA set to boost its cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), in partnership with a leading private cybersecurity solutions provider in Ghana, CyberHawk Limited, is advancing the Authority’s digital infrastructure to ensure seamless operations.
This is to safeguard the Authority’s digital technologies and maintain the trust of active members of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
In this context, the NHIA Management Information System (MIS) Directorate in the Head Office, on February 11, 2024, launched a three-day brainstorming session on the organization’s cybersecurity enhancement agenda.
The MIS Directorate Ag. Director, Mr. Daniel Blankson explained that the collaborative meeting aimed to scrutinize the NHIA’s Information Technology architecture, identifying potential risks and gapsto enhance its cybersecurity posture.
“By leveraging CyberHawk Limited’s expertise, the NHIA seeks to fortify its defenses against cyber threats, protecting sensitive information and maintaining the trust of its members.”
Mr. Blankson applauded the synergy between the two organizations and underscored the Authority’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to drive its mission forward.
The Head of Information Security and Standards Unit, in the MIS Directorate, Mr. Ebenezer Hooper, highlighted the Authority’s significant milestone on the digital transformation journey.
According to him, the NHIA is actively engaged in fully adopting and implementing modern digital systems to improve its operations.
He said, “The three-day brainstorming meeting will culminate in the development of a robust IT infrastructure, as well as strategic plans to translate security implementations into tangible IT cost savings for the organization.”
“There is the need to form a steering committee or IT advisory committee, operated under the Board, so that they can pay more attention in protecting the huge IT investment while ensuring cyber security-related policies are well protected,” he added.
The Project Manager of CyberHawk Limited, Mr. Chetan Narayana Murthy, lauded the collaboration and anticipated that it would empower the NHIA to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures.
According to him, “This is a huge project that will greatly benefit the NHIA by implementing robust cybersecurity measures, safeguarding their systems, and ultimately protecting the sensitive information of NHIA members and healthcare providers.”
A Senior Manager of IT infrastructure, Mr. David Asare Addo, and his colleague, a Senior Manager of Applications, Mr. Enock Afanyi, with the MIS Directorate, gave an overview of the NHIA’s current technological landscape.
Present at the meeting were representatives from the Claims, Membership and Regional Operations (MRO), Research, Policy, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RPME), Corporate Affairs, the Audit, Administration, and Human Resource Directorates.
Story By : Vivian Arthur
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
